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I've been buying music again...

edited May 2016 in Music and Movies

First in an epic tranche of CDs inbound to the Palace landed today and all have had their first run through. Two are darlings of Triple J while the third is a return after a long layoff....

Firstly to the Jays...

Chvrches - 'Every Open Eye' is the second album from this trio from Scotland. Upbeat electro pop which is spot on for a sunny afternoon.

The Jezabels - 'Synthia' is the third album from the Australian quartet. They do a moody electro rock thing with big Kate Bush inspired vocals. Could be a bit histrionic for some and self indulgent for others but it has some great hooks.

And then...

Fifteen years ago a moderately successful French house music producer with a love of blues and jazz dropped his second full length album. It was called 'Tourist' and it went nuts. Sold container loads in many countries. Most tracks ended up licensed for something and one, 'Rose Rouge' ended up almost ubiquitous despite few knowing its name. Then the producer calling himself St. Germain even though his mum called him Ludovic Navarre...went to ground. All there was after that was a very good compilation of his early EPs. No more...

Late last year he dropped a new self titled album....and this time, there's the sounds of Mali in the mix, actually dominating the mix! Apart from the opening track which samples Lightning Hopkins, the blues has given way to Malian groits on traditional instruments layered over the familiar electro jazz feel of St Germain. It's clearly the same bloke but with different inspiration...its all very cruisy (some might even say dull) but it is effective as something different in the lounge music mix. We liked it...

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Comments

  • Geezers Sean, you're one of these "it's about the music" people. My system is nice and measures well, but I never play any music on it.
    Juist kidding, interesting your thoughts on St Germain, I have been reviewing a few loungey cds and Boulevarde" (St germain?) is one that just doesn't do it for me. I haven't got Tourist but am pretty sure I've heard it. There is some commonality among the French mixers, be they Café del Mar, Café de Flore, Hotel Costes, Shanghai Lounge - I like a lot of it and having a Mali influence may also be interesting. Thanks

  • edited March 2016

    Boulevarde is the first album and much less focused than Tourist. I still like it but rarely listen to it these days. Finding one CD in a whole wall of the suckers is quite a challenge!

  • Coincidence, I went to Scuzzii's place on Sunday arvo. I recognised the track he put on and it was Tourist and yes it is different (better?) than Boulevard IMO.
    A whole wall of music !!! Wow I have about 1000 albums but they are all on a 2Tb drive.

  • According to my database I have over 1300 CDs (if you assume every album is a single CD which they aren't)...and quite a few more in just digital. Something like 28 days of continuous listening apparently...

    New album from The Gloaming just releasd... I'll have it next week. Can't wait!!!

  • Just had a listen to this new album...70 minutes of sublime Irish folk given the twist of melody. Almost prog folk in some way...just with real instruments in an intimate setting. Glorious.

    Also have had a run through Public Service Broadcasting's EP from 2012 called 'The War Room'. Five tracks based on excerpts from wartime news reels and movies, backgrounded with a pop rock soundtrack....curio electronics. Catchy. The main single off it was Spitfire and it can easily be found on the interwebs for a free listen.

  • I like music.

    I don't like talking about it that much because someone like Nigel will tell you your taste is "shit." Then he will give you a CD of lounge music.

  • If you up 'nigel' in the dictionary, it says [n] lounge lizard.

  • OK...had another splurge...

    Haken are an English band that occupy a niche somewhere between prog rock and metal. This album 'Affinity' is somewhat different to their past work in that it draws inspiration from the pop prog of the 80s (I swear I hear Alan Parsons and Pink Floyd) but then drops in modern metal touches and flourishes...it sounds goofy in text I'm sure but in the hearing it is quite something. I scored the limited edition version which adds in an instrumental version of the album plus a really lush art book cover laden with 80's styled artwork.

    ...and speaking of Alan Parsons...here's the latest addition to his discography and superannuation fund. It's a live recording of a concert colloboration between the APP band and a Colombian orchestra and choir. Seems an odd place to do a concert but what the heck. Essentially a 2CD Greatest Hits package coupled with a complete run through of Side 2 of the 'Turn of a Friendly Card' album. Given how reliant AP and the late Eric Woolfson were on orchestral sound in making their music back in the day then it should come as no surprise that the two 'bands' work well together and the recording quality is top notch...but there's absolutely no surprises here. Nothing is reworked and there are few spur of the moment flourishes. It's fine if you are a fan but anyone else might think it's a bit dull.

    'Congrats' is the new album from this Canadian outfit with the unfit for radio name. Their thing is noisy electronic instrumental rock and roll and they've gone further into the electronic realm here with their loops and squiggles and (on a couple of tracks) heavily processed vocals. It's not rock and roll and it's not dancefloor electronica...more soundscape like perhaps and I certainly find it diverting. It's also over in a flash at a little over 37 minutes run time.

    Gold Panda is the stage name of an UK electronica producer and 'Good Luck and Do Your Best' is his latest album. This one is inspired by visits to Japan over the last couple of years (hence the title and cover art) and the music certainly reflects that with traditional Japanese instrumentation, field recordings and samples being blended into the more typical electronica...again not dancefloor bangers, rather quietly diverting 'scapes...

  • Hi Seano, agree fully with the APP album - I am a fan, but was a little bit disappointed really - will give it another listen today on the way home from work. Will have to try the Haken one - sounds interesting.

  • I really like Haken. There stuff is so idiosyncratically indulgent that it's often breath taking. 'Affinity' is now after just a few listens so familiar that you wonder how many back catalogues have been raided to create it...

    Their previous effort 'The Mountain' is the same...but comes from a different back catalogue. Much more prog...

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